The invention relates to a method for optimally operating mechanically stressed, moving, in particular rotating components, such as transmissions, in which, in the operating state, an accumulation of damage is used to assess the influence of a load collective on the service life of the mechanically stressed components.
As is known, an accumulation of damage is used to assess the influence of a load collective on the service life of a component. In a normal situation, a rotating component is subject not only to a vibratory loading at constant amplitudes, i.e. to a rectangular loading collective, as used, for example, in the “Wöhler fatigue test”, but the level of the loading is also variable. The loading essentially involves dynamic loadings which may lead to material fatigue, i.e. the respective component may be locally damaged. If said damage exceeds a certain limit value, the consequence may be, for example, the formation of cracks and therefore fracturing of the component. The number of load cycles tolerated by a component until it fails is then referred to as the service life of the component. Each load cycle may produce a certain amount of damage which, in total, results in an overall level of damage dealt with by the linear accumulation of damage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for optimally operating in particular highly loaded, rotating components in which the service life of said components is to be increased with the aid of a specifically used accumulation of damage.